Letter: Let’s hear it

Editor:

Concerning your editorial in the Oct. 15 issue of the Review, I fully agree that better knowledge of our faith is needed for many Catholics to join in the pro-life effort. One has only to read or hear in the news media the constant criticisms against the Church being expressed by self-described Catholics for "trying to tell them how to vote" in the election to come to that conclusion. Another example that proves the total ignorance of the faith on the part of many Catholics is something that I constantly hear about giving the same weight to the issue of abortion as to the death penalty or the war in Iraq.

The editorial states that priests can use their homilies as opportunities to instruct the flock, and I definitely agree. Unfortunately, I feel that the large majority of them are not doing that at all. I normally attend Sunday Mass at my parish church but for the last two years, on most Saturdays, I have also attended Mass at many churches throughout the archdiocese. In all this time I may have heard a priest mention abortion, contraception or homosexuality at best two or three times, and, if so, in a very general or superficial way.

I sense that most priests I have seen, for whatever reasons(s), are not comfortable speaking about sin. Most of them appear to be so concerned with being politically correct that they never even talk about how we should behave and dress in church, for instance. Is it any wonder the poor state of knowledge of many Catholics as to what the Church teaches?

Cesar Arriola
St. Louis

All emphasis above is mine...We do need more of the priests teaching us about the reality of sin and its effects and what we can do to transform our culture into a culture of life.

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